ABOUT

With honour and respect for my grandmother Vasilka Bela and all the artisan women, who with patience, knowledge and great skill, weave cloth and make beautiful textiles! 

Without meeting her I am inspired by her and so my love for textiles has just always been there. My grandmother Vasilka was a single mother of 2, from a small village in northern Greece. With 2 children to care for, she lived a self sustainable life where almost everything had to be grown and made by hand. With all the tasks of her day she also made textiles. She would first clean and brush her wool, then spin her wool by the light of a kerosene lamp at night, then weave her rugs and fabric by day.  She made a little money by selling her fabrics to the new brides in the village. Most of the women in her area made textiles and they had knowledge of the plants that gave good lasting colour.  A rich wisdom of non toxic colours from nature had been passed down from one generation to another. There was a respect for and a connection with their environment around them.

I grew up only knowing my grandmother through my own mother. I heard stories of her and watched my mum spend every evening through winter knitting jumpers and socks that never wore out. My village mother who moved to Australia, continued to wash our clothes by hand and only used the washing machine for her sheets. I knew of no one else who did that. Mum never let go of the tactile nature of washing each piece of clothing. It was slower but she chose the meditative way for her task and I presume she just liked it. So this love for textiles, especially natural fibres, was passed down to me. I found myself working with textiles and specifically bedlinen. Like a lot of people, I fell in love with silk pillowcases as it made a real difference to my face and hair. Being a "face" sleeper, the wrinkles can be fierce in the morning! Silk has made all the difference and made my wrinkles look softer. My naturally thin hair has volume and I wash it far less because it just isn't as oily. Now I can't sleep one night without it. 

We are at the crossroads of change and that is to give up the fast fashion culture. To return to the practises that work together with our natural environment. To look after our planet and to be part of the regeneration process by making good decisions of what we use and how we make things. Looking to those who have this knowledge that is old and learning new ways. So making colours from natural dye extracts and fresh or dried plants, was the only choice for me. It led me to the discovery of a life giving art form that inspires me everyday.

I buy the pillowcases already made from China, from a highly regarded company who have  their own silk farm in the Suzhou region, on the Tai Lake Basin. This is the famous silk producing area of China with a 4,700 year history. They comply with Oeko-Tex standard and I buy them unbleached rather than being whitened.

I hope sleeping on your new silk pillowcase gives you all the feels that only silk gives. That you experience a difference to your skin and hair and that you too won't be able to sleep without it.

Thank You!! for supporting my little business and the slow textile movement! 

With Much Love, Helen x